Sick Sweethearts
by MoonlightAngel220
Summary: Ginny isn't feeling well and much to Ginny's dismay Harry is taking care of her.


Sick Sweethearts

_Setting: After Voldemort's demise, Harry is finishing his last year at Hogwarts with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione._

Sick Sweethearts

Harry Potter watched nervously as his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, seemed to struggle breathing in her sleep. Sighing, he remembered dinner earlier that night.

_The students in the Hogwart's Great Hall were chatting happily while eating the extraordinary feast before them. All except Ginny Weasley, who was leaning her head against her hand, spinning food around her plate._

"_Something wrong?" a concerned Harry asked her, a worried look etched on his face._

"_No, I'm just not hungry," she reassured the boy with a grin that lacked her usual fire._

That should have been his first warning, but unfortunately he hadn't realized she was sick until she fell asleep on his lap while doing homework in the common room that Harry shared with Head girl, Hermione Granger. Not that he minded, he rather liked having her curled up on his lap, but he should have known she was sick.

With a slight smile, and a gesture to the sleeping girl in his arms, he silently said goodbye to Ron and Hermione, and carried Ginny upstairs to his dorm. As he left he couldn't help but chuckle quietly as he heard Hermione assuring Ron that Harry and Ginny wouldn't be doing anything he didn't approve of.

Once in the dorm, he laid her gently on top of the covers of the bed and took her hair out of the long braid down her back. After taking off her shoes and socks, he transfigured her uniform into something more comfortable and tucked her in. After one last feel of her burning forehead, Harry headed down to the kitchens.

After asking one of the countless house elves for the essentials of taking care of a sick person, he sunk into an overstuffed armchair and waited. Each time he was tempted to sample one of the numerous foods offered by the hospitable creatures, he simply remembered the helpless angel currently occupying his bed and politely declined.

When Harry stopped in the common room on his way back to Ginny, there was not a lot of studying going on. Well, there was if the test in Flitwick's class involved Ron and Hermione's lips. They were getting to know those really well.

Harry returned to the dorm to see that Ginny had woken up while he was out. She didn't notice him in the room as rough coughs shook her frail frame. Harry sat next to her on the bed and rubbed her back soothingly.

Helping her down to the pillow he poured a small amount of the Draught of Dreamless Sleep down her aching throat. Hoping that the potion would keep her from coughing and waking in the middle of the night, Harry sat in the armchair near the four-poster and drifted into a restless sleep.

--

Harry awoke to the sound of a small low thump, and he quickly realized that Ginny was not in the bed next him. Instead she was on the wooden floor next to it, one sock halfway on and a small pout on her face. It was very obvious she was too weak to get up.

"What were you doing?" he asked as he lifted her onto the mattress and ridded her of the offending sock.

"I was getting ready, and I would have finished if you didn't pick me up," she croaked, pout still in place.

"Of course you could have, sweetie," he returned distractedly, looking for something on the tray the house elves had given him the night before.

"I only needed a few more min-," she was cut off as a thermometer was placed gently into her mouth and the hand under her chin snapped her jaw shut.

"Under your tongue Gin," Harry instructed kindly, as he wet a cloth with the pitcher at the end of the room.

Ginny did as told, glaring murderously at the young man in front of her. He did not miss this look as he laid the cloth on her forehead while gently pressing her down against the pillows.

"39.5," he stated fretfully as he took the thermometer from her mouth, "I don't think Hogsmeade is a good idea today."

"I'm fine, we've been looking forward to this since the last visit!" she protested.

"Next time," he promised.

"For now, talking probably isn't helping your throat either. You can either stop, or I can cast a charm and make you stop. Your option," he said in a firm voice that clearly stopped all arguing.

Harry got up and found a piece of parchment and a quill for her. He gave it to her before, once again, sorting through the items on the house elves' tray.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked as she and Ron walked into the dorm.

"Why aren't you ready for Hogsmeade?" Ron added, sitting on the edge of his sister's bed.

"Ginny isn't feeling well, we're staying here today," Harry informed the confused friends.

"Oh! What's wrong with her?" inquired Hermione, getting worried.

"She's got a fever, been coughing a lot, a little bit weak, sh-," Harry was cut off by his agitated girlfriend shoving her parchment under his nose.

"_She" is right here, and would appreciate it if you prats would talk like it._

"Quite an attitude," mused Ron.

At this Ginny went into another coughing fit, much like the one the night before. Harry sat next to her rubbing calming circles on her back, while Hermione poured her a glass of water for when she was done. Ron was not quite sure what to do, so he went with patting her awkwardly on the head.

After Ron and Hermione left with reassurances of sweets from Honeydukes, Harry picked up the potion he found earlier. He and Ginny both watched it run slowly onto the spoon in Harry's other hand. It had a sickening texture and a putrid green color to it.

Harry rested the spoon near Ginny's lips in hopes she would drink it. No dice. She stubbornly shook her head and pursed her lips together tightly.

"Come on Gin, you know it will make you feel better," Harry pleaded. Seeing her shake her head he sighed, and put the spoon down.

He leaned into her and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. Ginny responded and deepened the kiss. Both were in utter bliss until Harry leaned away quickly and forced the potion into her now open mouth. As he clamped his hand over her mouth to keep from refusing the potion, he began to wonder how long he would live after Ginny was well enough to hurt him.

Shaking the thought off, he sat back down on the chair as his infuriated girlfriend scribbled fiercely on her parchment. When the parchment was roughly handed to him, Harry could find no message in the string of profanities that would have made the Weasley brothers proud, but he got the point. She was a tad bit angry.

Hoping to distract the enraged witch in front of him, Harry prattled on about various classes and teachers, occasionally stopping to glance worriedly at the seemingly aching girl. Finally, after about the fourth time he caught her wincing as she swallowed, he urged her mouth open, and examined her throat by wand light. It was far to red and irritated for his liking.

Harry helped Ginny swallow a glass of water and a sleeping potion. Giving her one last kiss before she fell asleep, Harry couldn't help but think that he would like to take care of Ginny Weasley for the rest of their lives.

_Written for my pain-in-the-neck boyfriend, from his stubborn patient._


End file.
